I visited a border zone by visiting my favorite nursery and speaking to Hispanic folks that I knew were from Mexico (or so I thought) and had immigrated here. The nursery is a large wholesale nursery,  located in Northern  Arizona. this  is an agricultural area about fifteen miles north of Prescott. I feel this is a border type place because of the Hispanic population represented there working at the nursery. I estimate that at least 50% of the 225 workers are Hispanic. I wanted to interview these immigrants first hand. The interviewees were familiar with me and I thought they might be forthright in their answers. It was still hard to ask such personal questions about their immigration stories, and I felt too awkward to press for many details. I asked the same basic questions of all the folks that I interviewed. They all consented to be interviewed, and were told it was an assignment for my Culture and Migration class.

Leticcia, works as a planter. Her English is good. She is a dear, generous, young person of perhaps twenty six or twenty seven.

How long have you lived here in Arizona? Around seven years.

When did you come to this country?   About 12 years ago.

How did you come to this country, walk, drive? Illegally, drove, into Los Angeles.

When did you learn to speak English? Here, I took classes for two years in Los Angeles.

Do you have family in Mexico? Yes a sister.

Do you miss Mexico? A little

Do you send money back to family in Mexico? No.

Do you get to go back and visit? Yes, every year.

How long have you worked at this nursery? One year.

Do you feel employment advancement is possible for you? Yes, but my boss, who is Mexican too, does not treat us very well. Which I don't understand, because we are both Mexican.

Do you feel discriminated against in this Chino Valley, Prescott area? No.

Virginia, a wonderful propagation specialist has worked at this greenhouse for over twelve years consented to be interviewed. She is around 40 years of age and speaks English.

How long have you lived here in Arizona? 20 years

How did you come to this country? Drove

When did you learn to speak English? After I came here, went to school for 2-3 months to learn.

Do you have family in Mexico? Yes , three brothers and one sister

Do you miss Mexico? Not really

Do you get to go back and visit? Not very often, the last time was three years ago, just to visit.

How long have you worked at this nursery? About twelve years.

What is your job at the nursery? I raise the seedlings and cuttings.

Do you feel employment advancement is possible for you? Yes

Were you working at the nursery when it was raided by immigration? Yes

How did you feel? Nervous, scared, relieved.

What was your experience with the raid? I had my green card with me, but it was in my car. At first they said I could go get it then they said no, I couldn't. They said I needed to have it in my pocket. They put me in a van with the others they were taking, they took about twenty of us. Then one of my friends went to my car and got my card out of my purse for me, so they let me out of the van.

Do you feel discriminated against in this Chino Valley, Prescott area? No.

I am sorry I could not interview one of the workers taken to jail, during the immigration raid. Her green card was at home, so they took her in. The sad part is they wouldn't let her call her husband to bring her the green card. She was not allowed any phone calls. She was taken to Phoenix. Friends of hers from the nursery called her husband after he got off work that evening and told him. He had to take her card to Phoenix to get her out. Two guy were taken to South Phoenix, and then let go, when they accepted their paperwork as being legal. They dumped them out into the neighborhood, with no money, where they were mugged and beaten up before they were out of custody fifteen minutes. So they were legal, driven two hours away, dumped in an awful neighborhood and left with no way back.

Ernistino, has worked at the greenhouse for many years, is an immigrant, and has had a harder time learning English. I have known Ernistino for many years, worked with her, we are friends. I never knew until this interview that she is from El Salvador and not Mexico as I had thought. Shame on me. She is around fifty years old and speaks English although not very well.

How long have you lived here in Arizona? Thirteen and one half years.

How did you come to this country? My mother brought me, we flew, I don't remember how old I was.

(Ernistino may not have understood this question though.)

When did you learn to speak English? Here, I went to school here in Chino Valley

Do you have family in Mexico? Ernistino said she is from El Salvador and not Mexico

Do you miss El Salvador? No, mostly my family is here in this country now.

Do you get to go back and visit? No.

How long have you worked at this nursery? Around ten years.

What is your job at the nursery? I plant, make color bowls, and baskets.

Do you feel employment advancement is possible for you? (I did not ask her this question because her English speaking level will be a hindrance).

Were you working at the nursery when it was raided by immigration? No

I heard you were a citizen now, tell me about that. Yes I took the test and passed it, and took the oath last May. It is a very hard test. (Ernistino is very proud of this, and we are proud of her for getting through the studies and work to pass the test, in English, which she is not fluent in).

How long did you study for the test? Two years of classes and study for it.

Is it in English? Yes

Manuel, (pronounced Man-well) Consented to be interviewed. Married with two children. His wife works at the Ruger Gun factory not far from Chino Valley. He spoke the most fluent English of all four of my interviewees. He is forty something , and is an incredibly dependable, capable coworker. They have two children, his daughter serves in the U.S. Army and is stationed in Germany.

How long have you lived here in Arizona? Around seven and one half years

How did you come to this country, walk or drive. I ran, really. I crossed at Tijuana, on foot. I paid a man $250.00.

When did you learn to speak English? In classes after I came here.

Do you have family in Mexico? Yes, brothers, sisters.

Do you miss Mexico? No, not any more, after all these years.

Do you get to go back and visit? Yes, three years ago, the last time.

How long have you worked at this nursery? Around seven years.

What is your job at the nursery? I work in shipping and receiving.

Do you feel employment advancement is possible for you? Yes.

Were you working at the nursery when it was raided by immigration? No

Do you feel you experience discrimination here in Chino Valley, Prescott Area? No. (Manuel thought this over and said no, definitely no again.)

How did you become legal? I am a resident alien, soon I am eligible to apply for citizenship, and I am going too. You can apply after five years.

What does impress me most about my Hispanic co-workers is their honesty, work ethics, morality, and their steadfastness. I am very impressed with the fact that most of the Hispanic folks at this company has been there for many years, with very little turnover. They are devoted to their family, their workplace and their friends.. Most have had to go to a lot of trouble, risk and expense to either become citizens or to be legal with a green card, and to learn English. Things we American born people take for granted.

On top of dealing with all the technical and legal issues of being an immigrant; these folks have all the normal challenges of work, raising families, health issues, older parents to take care of, car problems, all the problems all people have. I feel they manage to keep a good nature in the face of it all.

I am embarrassed to admit I did not know more of their personal immigration stories after working with them for so many years. I will never look at another recent immigrant American again without wondering what is their story. I have a renewed appreciation for what our immigrants go through.